Whiteboard Presentation: The Story of Stuff

I just watched this great “whiteboard” presentation from The Story of Stuff (thanks Meine!). In it Annie Leonard explains the overview of where all our “stuff” comes from, and where it goes. She talks about the problems in our system of producing and consuming stuff, and what we can do to change it.

Whiteboard Storytelling

I really appreciated the presentation end of this video. First, Leonard’s passion and enthusiasm for people and our planet really come through. It’s having her talking on-screen, instead of just being a narrator.

Also, the whiteboard drawing behind her really help communicate her message and add humor and interest. The ever-present timeline in the background helps you understand the context of what she’s talking about at any given time in a talk that could become really confusing. The drawings (along with Leonard’s gestures and tone of voice) bring statistics and other potentially-boring facts to life.

There’s a lot in this talk that we can draw from (no pun intended) for our own talks. When I give an “overview of the Bible” talk, I always draw a similar whiteboard timeline as I go. But I like how Leonard gives the overview first, then goes into detail for each step.

“Let’s Create Something New”

Leonard closes by laying out the dream, the dream of changing our throw-away consumer mindset, adopting a new mindset and creating a new system based on sustainability, one that “doesn’t waste materials or people”. There are many ways to get involved. Check out The Story of Stuff, including resources and follow-up videos, at storyofstuff.org.